Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Systems providing these advantageous results often include digital information stored on a variety of mediums (e.g., software binary images, digital documents, digital music, digital video, etc.). This digital information is often published for a variety of reasons. However, traditional attempts at efficiently publishing the information are usually limited.
The creators of digital information often have a desire to publish the information. Owners of proprietary digital information often publish the information with the anticipation of generating a benefit (e.g., profits). Digital information is being developed at exponentially increasing rates and the speed at which a publisher can publish the information is also important. Efficient and convenient publishing mechanisms are very important for enabling of rapid publication of large amounts of information. In general, the greater the ease of publishing the information the greater the probability of increased widespread publication.
Publishing information properly often involves consideration of a wide variety of issues. Publication usually entails high level interactions to ensure the correct information is being published and managing the publication of proprietary digital information is often a very complicated and tedious endeavor. Providing a publication mechanism with a variety of characteristics (such as convenient user interaction, adequate protection, coordination with other publications, workflow control, etc.) is typically very difficult. Prior attempts at publication management usually lack desirable integration, automation and scalability features. Some traditional approaches to publication attempt to utilize computer applications to help manage the publication of proprietary information. There are a lot of different activities and database applications that can have a potential impact on publication and often make management very difficult. In the past, vast publication information from various sources was not typically integrated in a structured and coordinated manner. For example, requisite information that impacts publication is not typically integrated across different resources in traditional publication approaches making desirable convenient publication very difficult to realize.
Prior attempts at digital publishing management are usually limited. For example current software publishing attempts often find it difficult to perform “Software Image Publishing On Demand”. Existing publishing mechanisms also typically have problems with duplicate image publishing. Some existing commercial publishing products may provide some measure of support for publishing static data files and binaries (e.g., “Web Content Management Software Products”). However, they usually have characteristics (e.g., a very complex software product hierarchy, complicated software image entitlement, etc.) that are typically difficult to integrate with. Traditional directory-based software publishing systems typically have difficulties managing file directory permissions and handling user entitlement and user authorizations, etc. Some existing software publishing systems also tend to have problems with multiple software image publishing, software CD publishing and software bundling publishing etc. Some existing software publishing systems tend to utilize file directory hierarchies with restrictions and limitations of software distribution and have issues supporting scalable database-driven software product hierarchy. For example, some existing non-web software publishing system use low-level command-line user interfaces with less productivity. There are a number of activities associated with publication that a system and method should integrate with such as software build/release, software bug and patch, etc.
What is required is a system and method that facilitates a scalable publication system and method capable of automated integration of information associated with various activities.